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Fiona the hippo misses visitors to the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Gardens, so caretakers have fed the animal watermelon and wafted in the smell of coffee to lift her spirits.

A video shared by the zoo shows Fiona's mom Bibi getting to chomp down on a full watermelon. Fiona is still too little to eat a whole watermelon, says the Cincinnati Zoo employee on the video.

A sudsy Fiona the hippo emerges from the water at The Cincinnati Zoo.(Photo: Cincinnati Zoo/Provided)

The closed zoo wants everyone to know they are continuing to take great care of all 2,000 of the animals there, according to a release. Animals are receiving mental and physical stimulation.

For example, a cheetah and red river hog each received a walk through the empty zoo.

“Enrichment is one of the most important things that we do for our animals,” said Cincinnati Zoo senior keeper Jenna Wingate in the release.

Physical activity and mental stimulation are encouraged by introducing complex feeders or devices animals have to learn to manipulate, Wingate said.

An unusual scent can help animals too, she said.

"Fiona, for example, really likes the smell of coffee," Wingate said. "We think that’s because some of the people who cared for her when she was a baby had coffee breath! Whatever the reason, the smell triggers a behavior and is an enriching experience for her.”

Novel foods, including watermelons, are like a dessert for the animals, said the Zoo employee on the video.

And placing food out of sight or in hard-to-reach places encourages natural behaviors that some animals would use to hunt for prey, according to the release.

For the more social animals, including Fiona, seeing visitors is a form of enrichment, something they love and miss, according to the release.

That's right, Fiona misses seeing you.

Other animals are benefitting from changes made prior to the zoo's closure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bibi the hippo is about to chomp down on a watermelon at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden.(Photo: Kathy Newton/Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden)

Over the winter, the Malayan tiger habitat was modified to include elements that promote natural behaviors such as scratching, running, climbing, scent-marking, swimming and resting, according to the release.

When visitors return, they will be able to see and learn from more active tigers, according to the release.

“We are taking great care of the animals and looking forward to welcoming visitors back to see them,” said Cincinnati Zoo director Thane Maynard in the release. “Getting re-acclimated to a Zoo with people in it will be an enriching experience for the animals! It will be interesting to see how they respond to face coverings. That new sight will be something else for them to figure out, but they will get used to it as the rest of us have!”